Improvement in the cutting apparatus of harvesting-machines



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT J MORRISON, OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN THE CUTTING APPARATUS 0F HARVESTlNG-MACHLNES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0..16,393, dated January 13, 1857.

lb all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT J. MORRIsoN, of Richmond, in the county of Henrico and State of Virginia, have invented certain `new and useful Improvements in the Cutting Apparatus of Harvesting-Machines; vand I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, makin gv a part thereof, in which- Figure l represents a top plan of a section of the cutting apparatus, and Fig. 2 represents a vertical section through the-center ot" one of the fingers, and through the cutter-lid Aand finger-beam.

further avoid the clogging ot' the cutters by preventing the grass, dto., from interfering with the action ofthe lids, which are cleaners or clearers for the cutters; and my invention consists more particularly in making the rear or heels of the lids otA rhomboidal form, or so thattheirjoints shall stand oblique to the line at which the grain and grass is gathered in between the fingers to be cut.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the same with reference to the drawings.

A represents any ordinary finger or cutter beam, to the under side of which are secured the fingers B B, dac. The cutting-blades t a a., Sto., are secured on 'the bar c, which bar slides through recesses formed in the fingers B, as seen in Fig. 2.

ing matter.

e e e are the lids, hinged at the points b b b to the 1in ger-bar A. They extend forward and over the cutters or blades a and rest upon said blades, and their points or foremost ends pass under the cap or top part, d, ot the lingers to keep them from rising too far. Each lid, being separately hinged or hung, acts independently of the others, and is constantly cutting or scraping the blades as they pass underneath them, keeping them free from alll accumulat- The base or rear f of the lids is of a rhomboidal form, so as to give the joints g a direction oblique to thatof thelinein which the grain or grass is gathered in and cut. The front line of the cutter-bar c works tlush with the sides i t' of the rhombus, and consequently breaks thejoints g between the lids, and there checks the grass, Sto., momentarily, or until the blades pass that point and sever' it. The obliquity ofthe lines or joints g prevents the grass from immediately entering said joints as it is gathered in between the tingers, and during its momentary check it is severed and drops away. B v thus preventing the lwiregrass, gum, or other matter from clogging the joints between the lids they are free vto work over the blades and more effectually perform their function of clearing the cutters.

`Having thusfully described the-nature of my invention, what I claim therein as new, as an improvement on my patent of 14th August, 1855, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

The peculiar form of the lid which overlies the cutters-viz., a lozen ge or spear shaped point and rhomboidal basetor thepurpose ot' giving an'obliqne direction to the joints between said lids to prevent the grass, gum, or other material from clogging said joint and checkin g the efficiency of the lids, substantially as herein described.

ROBT. J. MORRISON.

Witnesses: I l

A. B. STOUGHTON, E. COHEN. 

